Consider this

“While they were still talking about this (the reports of Jesus’ resurrection), Jesus himself stood among them” (Luke 24:36) I wonder if Jesus’ followers were scared when they saw him. I know that the passage goes on to say, “They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost” (verse 37), but I mean, "Were they scared of Jesus himself and what he might do to them?” Put yourself in their position for a moment. Jesus had been arrested three days earlier, put on trial and killed on the cross. When that happened, every one of the people in that dark little room, with the possible except of John and few of the women, ran away and left Jesus alone. In fact, Peter outright denied knowing Jesus three separate times. For all the teaching they had heard and miracles that they had seen, when push came to shove, they deserted the son of God. Now, Jesus has returned from the dead and he is standing right in front of them. What is he going to do? If the disciples were scare...

According to researchers, today (the third Monday in January) is the worst day of the year. Apparently, by this date, winter seems too long, the days are too short, the stress of Christmas has caught up to us and it is usually minus 35 outside. Fortunately, today things do not look that bad. In fact, it is bright and sunny, the temperature is hovering around the freezing mark and we have not had too shovel a lot of snow yet. However, just in case the researchers are right and you are struggling today, here are some thoughts that may lift your spirits. - “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). - “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and...

As the two men walked down the road, they were completely defeated and confused. One week earlier, they could hardly contain their excitement as Jesus rode into Jerusalem. Everyone was shouting and celebrating, because the long awaited “King” had just ridden into town as predicted. The next day, Jesus turned over the tables of the money changers in the temple. He took exposed the deceitful and uncaring hearts of the religious leaders of the day. Everything looked great. Then, this great teacher was arrested. Suddenly he went from being “king” and “liberator of the people”, to being a prisoner. Taken back and forth between the Roman and Jewish authorities, he was tried, convicted and crucified. Now it is Sunday and the men are heading home. As they discuss their crushed hopes and try to make sense of everything that happened, a stranger comes along side of them and asks them what they were discussing. The Bible says, “They stood still, their faces downcast” (Luke 24:17) ...

The week before Christmas, I saw two shooting stars. I saw the first one while driving down Kensington Street. A white streak of light shot from left to right across the southern sky and I asked my youngest daughter, “Did you see that?” Her response was, “Nope! I was looking the other way”. I saw the second one while driving back from a Christmas concert in Regina. It was about 12:30 at night and I was on highway 39, just outside of Weyburn when a bright green streak caught my eye. It was falling straight down and as it got closer to the earth, it seemed to slow down and the path of light behind it got larger and larger. It was only there for a second, but it cast a bright green glow throughout the vehicle. “Did you see that?” I asked the rest of the family. The answer was, “no”. Sara was sort of half sleeping and had her eyes closed. The girls said that they saw the glow, but they missed seeing the shooting star. Now here is the thing: Scientists claim that there...

He just could not take it anymore. That is what William Lafaver told a 911 operator when he called in to confess to a murder that he said that he had committed more than 30 years ago. According to CBC news, Lefaver’s common law wife was found dead in a cabin near Prince Albert National Park in 1975. Lafaver originally told police that she fell and hit her head on a stove. With no witnesses and no other information to go on, the death was ruled “accidental” and the matter was dropped. That is until January 30, 2008 when Lafaver called and confessed to the crime. The incident had weighed heavily on him for years, he said. He had to do something because he was tired of living with the guilt. (Not a very “Christmassy” article so far, hey? Give it a minute.) All of us have things in our past that we wish we could “undo” and things that “weigh heavily” on us. Over the years, I have spoken with countless people who are being haunted by memories from long ago. This is where the ...

This past weekend, I was helping a buddy of mine who is building a house north of town. At the end of the day, we decided to clean up some of the junk and make a trip to the dump. When we got there and started unloading, we noticed a box that contained a bunch of hockey trophies. Someone had dumped their medals, a “top scorer” trophy with the player’s name engraved on it, several team photos and even a “Provincial Championship” plaque. All told, there had to be more than 30 different awards in that box. Now, I do not know the story behind how all those things got there (If you know, please email me as I would love to hear “The rest of the story”), but it was an odd sight. I imagine that, at one time, those trophies would have been treasured items. They were the reward for hours and hours of practice and hard work. Ten years ago, (1998 was date inscribed on many of them), scoring titles and provincial championships were likely the most important things in the world to that p...

“We are going to be in the Hudson.” Those were the last words that the air traffic controllers would hear from US Airways flight 1549. \ Until that point, everything had been routine. The lift off from New York’s LaGuardia airport was uneventful and the aircraft was gaining altitude. Approximately two minutes later, at 3,200 feet (980 m) the airliner flew into a flock of “Canada Geese”. Moments later, Captain Chesley Sullenburger made his first distress call stating, "Hit birds. We lost thrust in both engines. Returning back towards LaGuardia." As the Captain turned the airliner back in a southbound direction, it soon became obvious that they did not have the altitude or the air speed to make it back to the airport. Sullenburger asked if there was another option. Air traffic control responded that “Teterboro” airport in New Jersey was to his right. As the plane passed over the “George Washington bridge” (at a height of less than 1000 feet), Captain Sullenburger wa...